Chapter 88 Stay Here With Me

Chapter 88 Stay Here With Me
“What... what happened to him?”
For a moment, her body froze.
The question caught in her throat. She forgot to blink, then jolted in shock, nearly stumbling backward as Christian suddenly collapsed against her.
“I never wanted to be born into this family and make you lose everything,” he murmured. His body trembled violently, his voice hoarse. “Ugh...” the rest dissolved into a pained groan.
“What is he talking about? Lose everything? Who does he mean?”
Ariana frowned in confusion, glancing at Christian's flushed face, drenched in sweat, as it rested against her slender shoulder. His breathing was hot, labored, and completely out of control.
Without thinking, she reached up and pressed a hand against his forehead.
Within seconds, her eyes flew wide open.
“He's burning up!” she cried in alarm, especially when his feverish jaw pressed against her cheek. “How can his fever be this high?”
Just as Ariana was about to shout for help, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. Moments later, an anxious voice rang through the room. Christian's weight was lifted from her, but the uneasiness in her chest only grew stronger.
“You should have listened to us.”
The familiar scolding voice belonged to Lorne. He stopped in front of them, breathing heavily. Without another word, he took Christian from her arms.
After giving several urgent instructions to his subordinates, Lorne finally turned his attention to Ariana, who still stood frozen in place.
“Our apologies, ma'am. You must have been startled, and our master's behavior toward Miss Sophia's guest was inappropriate.”
His tone remained professional, even as several bodyguards stared at her with cold eyes. Nearby, a kitchen maid quietly fought back tears while Jenson stepped forward to steady her. Ariana's gaze drifted back to Christian, her eyes clouded with emotion.
“It's all right. I understand the situation,” Ariana replied from behind her face mask, carefully disguising her voice. “But why aren't you taking him to the hospital?”
“We were on our way to the airport when our master's condition suddenly worsened from overwork. Even so, he insisted on coming home instead of going to the hospital.”
Feeling that was explanation enough, Lorne turned to one of the kitchen staff. “Prepare some porridge. The master hasn't eaten anything.”
“What... again?” the maid flinched, her eyes filling with tears. Her voice trembled even more, drawing Ariana's attention.
She covered her mouth with a shaking hand.
“How many times has this happened already? How is his body supposed to recover if he keeps doing this?”
The anxiety pierced straight through Ariana, as though thousands of needles were stabbing into her body.
“Has his life really been this miserable ever since we separated?” she wondered silently.
The cook hurried back to the kitchen to prepare the meal as instructed.
Without another word, they carried Christian's tall, powerful frame away, though he looked heartbreakingly fragile, barely conscious.
Then a faint whisper escaped his lips, snapping Ariana from her thoughts.
“Ariana...”
“Is he calling for me? No. No! That's none of your concern anymore, Ariana.”
She whispered the words to herself, her lips trembling before she bit down on them.
“That man isn't my husband anymore. If he's sick, it's none of my own business. I'm here because of Sophia.”
She spoke with forced determination, yet her eyes never left his pale figure, looking more like a walking corpse than a living man.

“Mom, you're back!”
Lucas's cheerful voice welcomed Ariana as she stepped into the guest room.
Ariana smiled softly and walked over with a tray in her hands.
“Yes. I tried to come back as quickly as I could.”
As she spoke, her eyes swept over the toys scattered across the bed.
“You must be hungry. I'm sorry I kept you waiting.”
“It's okay.”
Lucas shook his head, his little lips curling into a smile, as if the time lost because of Christian's sudden collapse didn't matter at all.
“I'm really strong, Mom. I can handle this much.”
He stood proudly on the bed, showing his usual mature side so Ariana wouldn't worry about him.
Ariana let out a quiet laugh and gently stroked his hair.
“I believe you. You've grown even taller, which means you are getting stronger too.”
She placed the plate of food on his lap.
“Since I wanna see you grow up big and strong, you have to finish all your food.”
“Of course! I want to protect you, Mom!”
Lucas eagerly devoured his meal.
He finished every last bite, praising how delicious it was. A few hours later, he drifted off to sleep.
Ariana lay beside him. Even after closing her eyes, sleep refused to come.
Somehow, thoughts of Christian kept invading her mind.
She quietly climbed out of bed, hesitating as she looked at Lucas's small body, half covered by his blanket.
Gripping the belt of her robe, Ariana glanced repeatedly down the long hallway, telling herself she was on her way to Sophia's room.
Instead, she found herself stopping in front of Christian's bedroom door, which had been left slightly ajar.
The moment Jenson and two servants stepped out, she quickly hid out of sight.
Their conversation carried clearly through the hallway.
“He refuses to take his medicine again. The doctor is completely frustrated. Does he really not want to live anymore?” Jenson sighed, deep sorrow etched across his aged face.
“Even Miss Sophia couldn't convince Master Christian to take his medicine,” another servant said quietly.
“But he keeps calling for Mrs. Ariana. If only she were here, the master would surely become his old self again,” the third servant added, his voice heavy with sadness.
Hearing those words, Ariana remained motionless in the shadows.
Slowly, she lifted her head and stared at the now closed bedroom door.
“Is he really that bad?” she murmured, nervously wringing her fingers together.
She quickly shook herself back to reality. Yet just as she turned toward Sophia's room, her feet carried her back instead.
With a racing heart, she slowly pressed down on the doorknob.
“I'll just check on him for a moment, then I'll go see Sophia.”
The words died in her throat. Christian had fallen out of bed.
Curled up on the cold floor, his body trembled uncontrollably.
“Christian!”
Without thinking, she cried out his name in panic, tore off her mask, rushed to his side, and quickly helped him into a sitting position.
Christian struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. A faint smile appeared on his pale lips.
“Ariana... you're here?”
“Don't talk right now.”
Breathing heavily from the effort, she tried to help him back onto the bed.
“Why are you helping me? But... I'm happy you're here,” he said in a hoarse, broken voice.
Ariana ignored him and managed to lay him back on the bed.
Although she was surprised that Christian had recognized her, she pushed the thought aside.
“I'll call your servants,” Ariana said between exhausted breaths.
Even though Christian had grown much thinner, she still couldn't support his weight on her own.
Before she could move away, Christian reached out and gently wrapped his hand around her wrist.
Ariana lowered her gaze to where his fingers rested against her skin.
“Can you stay here? Just you?”